How to Avoid Hair Transplant Scars?

It is important to remember that all surgical procedures result in some degree of scarring and that also includes hair transplant surgery.While this is undeniably true, in the case of CIT Hair transplant (FUE) the scarring is very minimal and appears as white dots in some individuals. these dots are not visible to the naked eye when hair grows in the donor area unless it is shaved down to guard 0-1, Strip procedure in the other hand can results in ear too ear scars that can be 2-3 inch wide, the strip scars can be very visible even with longer hair.
Many patient are now asking the ultimate question - How can i avoid hair transplant scars?

Hair Transplant Scar

One of the tell-tale signs of having undergone hair restoration surgery is a linear scar across the back of your head. Hair transplant scars result from a method of hair transplantation known as FUT, or strip surgery. Hair transplant scars from this type of surgery are unpredictable in nature. Some lucky strip hair transplant patients will have only a slight, paper-thin scar. Others will develop thick, protruding scars of half an inch in width or more. The problem is that it is very difficult to determine how individual patients will heal, and whether their scars will stretch in time.

Avoiding a Hair Transplant Scar

The only way to avoid having a linear strip scar is to elect not to have strip surgery. One alternative method to strip is FUE, or follicular unit extraction. This method involves the excision of individual follicular units, one at a time. FUE does not result in a hair transplant scar because the doctor is not removing a large portion of tissue, nor is there a need for sutures. Without the linear scar left by strip surgery, FUE hair restoration surgery allows patients to restore their hairline, or add density where needed, without having to keep their hair long to conceal the donor area scar.

Strip Procedures and Scarring

During a strip procedure, the physician excises a ‘strip’ of tissue from the back and sides of the patient’s head. While surgical technicians begin dividing the tissue into individual follicular units, the physician closes the wound using sutures. In an ideal situation, the wound heals well and the scar is virtually undetectable underneath existing hair. However, in most situations, the scar will be quite visible and may even stretch over time. Having a hair transplant strip scar prevents patients from being able to wear their hair short or shaven without exposing the scar.

Other Drawbacks of Strip Procedures

In addition to the hair transplant scar that is left following a strip procedure, strip hair transplantation has a number of other drawbacks. Strip procedures are more invasive in nature than FUE, and the patient therefore requires additional healing and recovery time. Strip procedures also permanently distort hair growth angles, where the tissue and hair is removed, drawing even more attention to the linear scar. Yet another concern with strip procedures is that surgical technicians, and not the hair restoration surgeon, are often responsible for dissecting the strip into individual follicular units. This can contribute to fewer hairs per graft and even result in graft transection.

Camouflaging Hair Transplant Scars

If you already have a hair transplant scar, there are a few options available to help you conceal your scar. The first and easiest way is to simply leave the hair surrounding your scar long enough to conceal it. However, many men, particularly as their hair loss progresses, get tired of this and simply want to buzz or shave their heads. Another option involves the use of cosmetics, such as DerMatch, which can help disguise the scar. Unfortunately, this is only a temporary solution. A more permanent option to consider is surgical scar revision. This involves “re-doing” the scar by excising it and suturing the wound again. Although this will occasionally result in a less noticeable scar, revisions often do not work. A better surgical option involves grafting permanent hair into the scar. This can be done via the FUE method and may require more than one ‘pass’ to achieve desired results since yield tends to be lower in scar tissue versus virgin scalp.

My name is Ronen Eliyahu and I am active as a poster on the various discussion boards as “forhair”. I first heard about FUE in 2002 and my research led to Dr. Cole who was one of the first to experience and develop this scarless technique. I had two FUE hair transplant procedures with Dr. John Cole, MD in Atlanta, GA USA and the results were great and above my expectations. I eventually became the online representative for this clinic.

I have posted my results in many forums and other hair transplantation resources and been active helping patients and answering questions and answers. Click on Read more to see forhair's latest hair transplant results

Network

Resources

Cole Hair Transplant is located in Atlanta at 1045 Powers Place, Alpharetta, GA, United States and provides hair restoration to patients worldwide. We offer high quality FUE Hair Transplants and hair loss solutions by John P. Cole MD. Call 1-800-368-4247 or Contact us.

The Cole Hair Transplant Group in Atlanta, GA holds the highest honor of any doctor or clinic in the U.S.Dr. Cole is the #1, top-ranked hair transplant doctor in the U.S. according to HairSite's independently verifiable patient statistics.